Oh snap!

I admit that I have no strong ties to either the Cavs or the Heat (despite spending four excruciating college years in Ohio).

Even so, the Lebron pile-on seemed a tad ridiculous to me. Dude is a twenty-something year old basketball phenom who wanted to go party in Miami and ball with his friends. Big fucking deal. He’s a kid.

“They have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life they had before they woke today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do.

“They can get a few days or a few months, or whatever the case may be, on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they have to get back to the real world at some point.”

I stopped following the NBA several years ago and honestly have no feelings one way or the other about LeBron James. But that quote basically boils down to: “It’s just basketball, people, and I’m just a basketball player. How well or where I play it doesn’t actually impact your lives in any important way and if it does, you need to re-examine your priorities. Enjoy gloating if that’s your thing, but try to get some perspective once you’re done.”

Which is about the most sensible thing I’ve heard regarding LeBron James.

well, having lived in Utah for 13 years, I am a fierce devoteee of the Class Act that was John Stockton (and, mostly, Karl Malone) – but Nowitzki is definitely my new NBA crush.

(Now, if he’d just wear the short shorts, like Stockton did – – -!)

(and yes, I know, Malone became an asshat after Stockton retired and Karl moved to LA and went all Hollywood and shit – but when he came to Utah, and while he was on Jerry Sloan’s team, he was pretty much a work-till-you drop, never-say die nice farm boy from Louisiana.

the funny thing is, i still really don’t hate cleveland, or ohio in general, but they seem to hate us here in paris of appalachia, it would be unneighborly not to give them some hate back.

cleveland sucks so bad, they have to celebrate other teams winning what they haven’t done since barry goldwater was running for president. hell the cavs were supposed to win one, didn’t, the indians had the greatest team in the 90s that didn’t win one, the browns left for baltimore and won one, the slow-lerners? not so much. all they really have is ohio st. how is that working out for them? newt gingrich has three more rings than any cleveland sports fan under the age of 55. enough said.

@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): Here’s the thing: if the Canucks manage to win Lord Stanley’s tableware tomorrow the resulting explosion that will happen just north of me may just trigger the Pacific Plate to go active. The celebration will last for weeks. And they just might pull it off. If Luongo doesn’t melt down (knocks on wood).

@Yutsano: Luongo is only a part of the potential problem. Has anyone seen the Sedins lately? Is the Lapierre/Torres/Hansen line all scared of airplanes and so the team was forced to use imposters in the games in Boston? Do you think maybe they could settle on which defensemen they want to play? Why are they paying Keith Ballard if they don’t want him to play? (Full Disclosure: Ballard was a Gopher, and I liked him a lot aside from a penchant for taking some dumb penalties.)

They got outscored 17-3 in the three road games. That’s a ridiculous performance for a team that has a 50/50 chance to win the Cup tomorrow.

Guy took less money because he wanted to win. Isn’t that what “sports purists” say they always want from pro athletes?

I think purists would rather see a team built to win rather than one bought to win. This Dallas team was built over the course of about a decade. This Miami team, with the exception of Wade, was bought last summer. And for all of the money and picks spent on the Big Three, the team is going to be hard pressed to get any quality depth while Wade, James and Bosh are still in their primes.

I know, Malone became an asshat after Stockton retired and Karl moved to LA and went all Hollywood

Malone was a punk, who threw his elbows around and cracked heads instead of playing clean. I still remember a game back in the day, when he split Isiah Thomas open for 40 stitches. He got some sympathy because he was sort of successful as an individual talent and didn’t win a ring; which of course was his own damned fault for choking (twice) against the Bulls.

The way he decided to switch teams was handled poorly, but beyond that, what did he really do?…Guy took less money because he wanted to win. Isn’t that what “sports purists” say they always want from pro athletes?

Nope.

Most players, who jump teams in search of an instant title are veterans, who’ve been with their teams awhile and those teams aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

You rarely see a player, in the prime of his career jump to another team, with the explicitly stated reason of saying he wants to be part of a more talented team, in order to win titles.

What he did was cut out of a situation, where he was THE MAN and go to Miami, where he’d be one of three stars, which would guarantee him a shot at winning a title. When he announced his decision, there was some statement about how he’s going to win not one title, not three titles, but five, six or seven titles in Miami.

I don’t know what’s wrong with James mentally. When the Cavaliers played the favored Detroit Pistons, in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007, James was unstoppable. At 22 he did what some of the greats did and carry a team on his back to the NBA Finals.

James has the God given talent to be among the greatest ever. After the 2007 play offs he just seems to not care and seems to want the championships to just be handed to him.

Laimbeer, as hated as he was (and still is) was a great player. Before he and Thomas got help around them, the guy was one of the top rebounders in the league- topped the category in ’85-’86. He was an excellent outside shooter. IIRC, he led the league in free throw percentage at least once.

Bitch all you want, but the guy was an integral part of a back-to-back championship team when the league was a whole fucking lot better than it is today.

More than just the build/buy aspect was the attitude of those 3 guys. I realize that not all of it was them, the team owner put on that horrid smoke & lazer display. But all the braggadocio that came out of their mouths. Hell, I hate basketball, never watch the game or pay attention to it yet I am aware of some things they said about themselves & about winning.

@Cliff in NH: Cliff, ever tried the Narbonne yeast for ciders? it seriously rocks… My club goes to a local orchard every fall and bulk buys fresh pressed, unpasteurized cider, I’ve had the best results with Narbonne…

Anyone who listened to Michael Jordan’s acceptance speech at the Hall of Fame discovered what an egomaniacal cretin he was. He never came across that way during his playing days. The difference between him and Lebron – besides all those championships – Jordan has/had a professional PR firm taking care of his public image. Lebron has an idiot childhood friend named Maverick Carter managing his.

Anyone who listened to Michael Jordan’s acceptance speech at the Hall of Fame discovered what an egomaniacal cretin he was. He never came across that way during his playing days

What planet are you living on? Jordan pushed sports star endorsements to another level. He’s the first player to have his own sneaker. Air-Jordans were a big hit for Nike and sold at a huge premium to kids, who wanted to be cool.

The guy just never said anything as stupid as Lebron did after losing a play-off serious.

How is it classless? The guy has put up with nothing but negative press and a bunch of whiny ass Ohioans because he decided to leave a losing team with no interest getting better for a team with a real shot at winning championships. And he’s right, people can hate, but they still gotta wake up the next day to their normal life and he wakes up to millions and plays basketball for a living.

The reason why Lebron left wasn’t because of the money(He took 30 million less to sign with Miami), he was supposedly sick of being lied to by the owner/GM(s) about how they were going to make the team better(they never really did) so that the Cavs could really contend. And during last summer when LeBron asked them about improving the team, they gave only non-answers while every other team had a solid plan. Its quite amusing that the Cavs are trying to play the victim/wronged party in all this. And this proclamation is about as close to a title as the Cavs will ever get under that owner.

Thomas, as a player, was damn good and relatively classy. There’s no reason to mix Thomas’ post-playing career, with what he was as a player, since those problems hadn’t materialized yet. a punk, who threw his elbows around.

FTFY. Zeke has always been an enormous asshole. In karmic justice, he is also possibly the dumbest GM in NBA history.

As for LeBrick, whatever. Cleveland doesn’t own him, but they’ll milk this martyrdom for the rest of their lives “or” until they win something.

Come on, the gov of Ohio has time to worry about this, while big upping selfless “loyalty” by employees of plutocrats? Kasich can go to hell. BT above is right – Cleveland did not own LeBron, anymore than Denver owned Melo.

I’d like more context but I think trying to cast LeBron’s quote here as more gloating by an entitled athlete is wrong. Sounds more like he’s saying that everyone has a life and a job, and in the end, even fans have to pay attention to their own. He does not actually say “their lives SUCK.” He just states that obsessing about his and his team’s failure is a distraction.

@Cassidy: I agree completely. He just said the truth, there’s nothing classless about that. Get over it. But then there is no city in the history of the world with a bigger loser attitude than Cleveland. This story is case in point – they are celebrating what, now? That a guy that used to be on their team got to the championship and lost? So, he left because he finally realized that the city was Losertown USA, and now Cleveland just wants to make sure it’s official? One day they might win something and not know how to act.

@Cassidy: And the Cavs were a losing team not despite Mr. South Beach, but because the fucker does NOT have the “champion’s heart” that a real NBA superstar has to have. The Cavs had the best record in the league but couldn’t make it to the finals because that egomaniacal (yet enormously talented) motherfucker QUIT.

Sounds more like he’s saying that everyone has a life and a job, and in the end, even fans have to pay attention to their own. He does not actually say “their lives SUCK.” He just states that obsessing about his and his team’s failure is a distraction.

True, but beside the point if you’re a professional athlete (especially in a team sport), because your well-paid livelihood is dependent precisely upon your ability to create an entertaining, absorbing distraction from people’s everyday life of a sort they can passionately care for and be willing to devote time and attention to. Sure, the sports team is (or should be) for fans a dessert, an entertainment rather than the main sustenance and focus of their everyday life, but OTOH it’s a rather counterproductive response of an annoyed athlete on a team that simply wasn’t good enough to essentially tell basketball fans “get a life”. Do that, and maybe they’ll take you up on it and quit going to or watching many NBA games, especially ones involving your team.

@JonF: Best regular season record in the league. Brought in lots of players to build a winner around Mr. South Beach.

Look, the bottom line is that LeBron just ain’t that fuckin’ guy. He is NOT the next Jordan– He got the talent, but he ain’t got the fuckin’ talent. He went to South Beach not because he wanted to hang with his buds (that’s what a fucking offseason is for, brah), but because he wanted to be handed the fucking trophy. He knew good and damn well he couldn’t be THE guy, so he thought he’d sneak up on a ring in company of two other ‘superstars.’

Winning isn’t enough in pro sports, and I imagine you’re enough of a fan to know that. It’s the ring, the cup, the prize that matters. Does anyone remember New England’s undefeated season…of course not. They lost when it counted. The Cav’s were not taking steps to get to that next level.

@Ivan Ivanovich Renko: And this is what I mean by whiny ass fans. Get over it. Your management sucked and let your superstar slip away who probably would’ve brought a championship or three back after some maturity time. Cleveland, the only fans with a bigger entitlement complex than Pittsburgh.

before lebron went south, his mom went west. srsly, i am guessing there are a number of things lebron james might have found more than annoying about his time with cleveland, one of which just might be that the team wasn’t so good at watching his back, and allowing stories like his mom banging one of his teammates to leak out.

based on the reaction of the cavs owner, basically stirring the already roiling pot, i am inclined to think the cavs as an organization treated james for granted, in ways that are deeper than the superficial stuff people focus on.

i know, sympathy for the devil and all that, but, it could be that there is more to the story than is being told publicaly, and more reason why lebron james chose to use the unique leverage he has and most of us fantasize about.

@Cassidy:
It pains me to say it, but: This. Dude lived in Akron, fucking, Ohio his entire life, and gave 7 of his prime years to a useless franchise, with a useless owner, with useless supporting players. There’s a reason people leave Ohio in droves.

One of my favorite Isiah Thomas stories is from when he was playing in college at IU. There had been a tight and somewhat chippy game at Purdue with the crowd really getting on Thomas. Afterward Bob Knight made a statement about how Thomas was essentially a model citizen and would never cause problems on the court. About a week later IU was playing at Iowa where they had a big center named Steve Krafcisin. At one point in the game Thomas walked up behind Krafcisin at the free throw area, sucker punched him, then ran off the court. Awesome.

I stopped following the NBA several years ago and honestly have no feelings one way or the other about LeBron James. But that quote basically boils down to: “It’s just basketball, people, and I’m just a basketball player. How well or where I play it doesn’t actually impact your lives in any important way and if it does, you need to re-examine your priorities. Enjoy gloating if that’s your thing, but try to get some perspective once you’re done.”

I agree with this. I don’t think what he said is at all classless. It’s actually very mature. And considering this guy is 26 and has already been to the NBA finals twice (Jordan didn’t make the finals until he was 27), I don’t think James has anything to apologize for. The piling on is getting ridiculous. It shows a really ugly, mean-spirited side of this country.

THIS black guy is a Cleveland fan; is loyal thereto; and find the difference between having the best winning record in the regular season and winning the championship was the abject failure of that black guy.

LeBron had every right to leave. Simply put, the way he left was dickish to the nth degree. A TV special and calling Cleveland 15 minutes before live time to inform them of his decision? He was way too full of himself, and pretty much knew it, since he admitted later this was way too much. Reminds me of when Francione left Alabama for Texas A&M – he had every right to do so, but the whole past year he had been telling the team players he would stay with them all the way when several of them had thought of transferring out (this was when Alabama was still on well-deserved sanctions, and I am an Alabama fan). What they did was fine and well within their rights, but they sure as Hell earned the bitterness that came from what they did. Altho Frnacione managed to get karma-squashed a lot more completely than James.

Why the Cavs couldn’t land top free agent targets in 2009 is one of those things that was a problem. The Cavs had all the right tools to attract free agents – good facilities, chance to win a title, passionate fans, etc. – but just couldn’t close any deals.

I don’t find classless, really. The LeBron hate has gotten ridculous – and I don’t see him telling all fans to get a life, just those cheering for him to lose because he no longer plays in their city. Maybe they do need to get a life after all.

He was loved in Ohio until the moment he decided to play for another team. LeBron has moved on but Cleveland fans still hold a grudge against the guy who played there for 7 years because he chose to seek opportunities elsewhere? Seems like the opposite of class and maturity.

Your forgetting that Jordan went to college while Lebron was drafted straight from high school. He has actually been in the league longer than Jordan to have still not won it all. And frankly I think he is just as immature as Kobe was during the Shaq/Phil Jackson debacle. His PR team is also pretty horrible.

No, Ivan. It doesn’t make you racist. Just incoherent. And while I approve in your choice of barbershops, I’m surprised you don’t understand that the hate frequently aimed at rich young black men with skills who do whatever they want is often driven by racism. Also envy. Ever been to a sports bar?

Now before you dial all that simmering anger back up to 11 again, this in no way means that anyone who boards this particular bandwagon is racist. That’s crazytalk. But putting on blinders about the motivation that leavens at least some part of all this hating, and sports hating in general?

I am a sports fan and if I have some irrational dislike for a player it is a least understandable. Millions of people do. However, I am not the state of Ohio putting out official documents asserting their irrational dislike of a player. Whether Lebron deserves our individual enmity or not, it is not the place the state should have a stake in at all.
Particularly, given Kasich’s reputation, piling insults on a young black man whose sin seems to be he was uppity enough to leave his previous master, I think the action by the state was entirely inappropriate.
And this is from a guy who was rooting for the Bulls and wished Lebron started missing those jumpers a little earlier in the playoffs.

Uh uh. But I’m not even if Clyde was even the first. And that’s not even counting Chuck Taylor who was a player before he went to work for Converse. Jordan was the second biggest asshole of his era, though. Right after Isaiah.

The Cavs had all the right tools to attract free agents – good facilities, chance to win a title, passionate fans, etc. – but just couldn’t close any deals.

One reason the Cavs may have had closing deals in the last two years of LeBron’s contract is that he was not signed. Players may have balked at signing up with a team that was about to lose the person around whom it was built.

Of course, this is surmise. But when Trevor Ariza took less money to go to hapless Houston, I concluded that he did so because there was no assurance that LeBron (the only reason to sign with Cleveland) was going to be there.

@Harley: Sorry about that. I get so sick of people blasting Cleveland– but then, before I moved to NE Ohio about 12 year ago, I too figured it had to be hell on earth.

Truth is (that rat bastard) Kasich notwithstanding, this is a nice city/region; a lot cleaner and prettier than we ever get credit for.

And yeah, our reaction to losing LeBron was the same reaction any boy/girl-friend would have to getting dumped with a video-taped “I’m just not that into you” message. So sue us.

We’ll get over it. Hah, I think with this Finals over, we largely have gotten over it.

PS– Look at that official declaration for what it really is– it’s a joke people. I would never have figured (that rat bastard) Kasich for having that much of a sense of humor. Doesn’t mean I won’t donate and knock on doors and make calls to unseat his (rat bastard) ass; but ya gotta appreciate a good jape when you see it.

@Sherrell: No, I’m well aware of that fact, but I don’t see how it’s relevant. I’m not trying to say that James is better than Jordan, just pointing out that James has already accomplished a lot given his age and that attacking him for not having won it all is incredibly petty and shortsighted.

Well, he did take them to the finals in 2007. They got swept by a much better all around team that was playing under a coach who’d been there for 10 years by then. Jordan never won anything until he, Pippen, Grant, et al learned to play together. And until they bought into Phil Jackson’s program. It’s not a huge surprise that James/Wade/Bosh didn’t win in their first season together under Spoelstra. Any time I watched the Heat play that guy had the look on his face of someone who was embarrassed to be pretending to run the show. The Heat will eventually figure it out and would win multiple titles in the coming years except that Anthony/Stoudamire/Paul in NY will be a better blend of talents so they’ll be losing in the Eastern finals for years instead.

@Harley:
Wait, what? Racism, for thinking the guy is a colossal douche? I don’t see it, although I guess there are some crackers somewhere who don’t like uppity black men, maybe that fuels their dislike. I dunno, I looked at it like this: guy goes on ridiculous promotional/recruiting tour. National media laps up every tidbit of gossip. Even as a casual basketball fan, you couldn’t help but hear about it every day. About two weeks before the guy decides, it seems like its between Maimi, Chicago, and staying in Cleveland. About a week before, it seems most definitely like Miami. Then he announces that he’s going to have an hour-long decision show. At that point, I say to myself, “he is definitely staying in Cleveland. Only a douchebag of epic proportions would go on national television to tell the team that he just quit on in the playoffs and is still offering him the max contract to stay, plus the fans who have pumped him up to global superstar-level, his hometown fans no less, that he is leaving to go to another team.” And that’s just what he did. Doesn’t that seem like an uneccesary fuck-you to the team and fans that gave him everything he wanted, bought his jersey, idolized him? Am I reading too much into that? Players have left teams before, star players have gone to greener pastures, but I can’t remember a player sticking it to his former team anything like what James did.

@Ivan Ivanovich Renko: Fair enuf. And I get it, I do. And while I don’t particularly care *where* LeBron plays, I would like to know what the hell he was thinking during the fourth quarter. Of every game.

Particularly when he basically carried a couple final quarters in the previous round. It’s a mystery.

@johnsmith1882: Okay. I don’t want to derail the Lebron critique with a debate about racism in hater sports fans. It’s enough to recognize it for what it is.

As for LeBron, google Allan Barra or Matt Yglesias on the subject. Somewhat more nuanced points of view, and less about hate than analysis.

And sure, the circus was a fucking embarrassment and it’s a shame he allowed himself to get caught up in it. But trust me, he had some very powerful and persuasive agents, Hollywood-style, who worked him over pretty good to get him to do it. And that’s a fact.

@johnsmith1882:
And just to clarify a little something, yeah, he had every right to choose which team to play for. he was a free agent. He took less money to play with Miami. If I were him, I would rather play for Miami or LA or Chicago or anywhere else but Cleveland, too. Still, he didn’t have to bitch-slap his team and his fans on national television in order to do so. Plus, he milked the situation for every second, and by the time he announced, Cleveland was left holding the bag, and every free agent worth anything had already been signed. So, they were awful this year, which seems like part of his plan to show the Cavs just how important he was to the team, and another unneccesary fuck-you on his part.

He dubs HIMSELF “King” James.
He has a tattoo across his entire back saying “The Chosen One”.
He stars in a sideshow where he breaks up with his home state and his team via ESPN while being fluffed by so-called “Sports professionals”.
He says things like, “In this fall, I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.”
He calls his teammates on the phone and greets them with, “Hey, KING here. Yeah.”

The guy is a Chris-Chris, diva-douche. Usually you have to win something before you can crow like a rooster. Go ahead, defend the indefensible.

@Harley:
Yeah, I don’t need to read Yglesias to understand that there is racism involved in sports grudges. My point is that while some James hatred may be racism-based, thinking that he is an enormous dickhead is not necessarily racist. So your generalizing that the James hate bandwagon is fueled by racism is off-base. there are racists on the bandwagon, for sure, but you don’t need to be a racist to be on it. It’s the rectangle and the square thing.

Then he announces that he’s going to have an hour-long decision show. At that point, I say to myself, “he is definitely staying in Cleveland. Only a douchebag of epic proportions would go on national television to tell the team that he just quit on in the playoffs and is still offering him the max contract to stay, plus the fans who have pumped him up to global superstar-level, his hometown fans no less, that he is leaving to go to another team.” And that’s just what he did. Doesn’t that seem like an uneccesary fuck-you to the team and fans that gave him everything he wanted, bought his jersey, idolized him? Am I reading too much into that? Players have left teams before, star players have gone to greener pastures, but I can’t remember a player sticking it to his former team anything like what James did.

Yeah. This. This is why he’s “hated” (no, I don’t think we’d go out of our way to put crosshairs on him, but we’ll sure as fuck boo him whenever we see him) here in North East Ohio. Suck-ass teams we may have; but we love ’em anyhow. We’re loyal that way, y’see.

Well, it reminds me of how Franchione left TCU for that horrible Alabama. He had spent 3 years telling everyone that he was “home” and how TCU was now a destination job that was so much better than big-time rampant cheating schools that had all the advantages the BCS Cartel could provide. Sure, he had a right to leave but to do so right before our big bowl game and then helicopter into the endzone and blather on and on about Bama while our game was being played and to go to the Heisman presentation wearing a red tie and doing a Carol Burnett inpersonation and then blatantly dis LT??!!

@Harley: I don’t think it’s a mystery. ABL summarized it perfectly: he “wanted to go party in Miami and ball with his friends.” In that order.

What he wants is to spend his life at St. Vincent St. Mary’s on the beach. He wants life to be like it was in high school – hanging out with his buddies and winning it all without ever having to shift past third gear. I’m sure he’d like to win a championship, but he’s not interested in dedicating himself to it the way Bryant, Jordan, etc. did. He’s a more talented Darryl Dawkins.

As a Cavs fan, I’m just glad to see his disappearing act in the 2010 playoffs didn’t have to do with planning his exit. He’s just lost the competitive drive – last seen in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals – to carry a team to victory when the outcome is in doubt.

It’s awesome that Kasich did this wonderful thing. I mean, after the motherfucker sent back $400mil in stimulus money (because fuck the feds!) that was to be used for a high-speed rail, opened up logging and drilling in our state parks (Good-bye, Salt Fork, I’ll miss you) and is sticking a hot, iron poker straight up the asses of state unions (who needs unions anyway?), I’m glad he had time to give the finger to some guy who wants a ring more than he wants to live in Cleveland. That’s just fan-fucking-tabulous.

I’m from Cleveland (sort of…I lived there 10 years and my mother and sister still do) but lived around Boston for a lot longer. I can understand the NE Ohio anger about James but I think they will get over it except when he comes to play the Cavs there, when you will be able to hear the booing in Pittsburgh. I didn’t hear James statement after the loss until a couple of days later and so didn’t understand the chatter on the radio and other places. Then I sure did: it was his equivalent of Leona Helmsly’s little barb about the “little people” paying taxes, an expression of contempt from a self-centered, immature SOB who never had a chance to grow up, as is the case with many of our celebrities (cf. Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Charley Sheen etc.). It’s too bad because he does have incredible physical talent but I wonder if his basketball intelligence and heart are up to championship level. I think of the contrast with Larry Bird, who was clumsy and never dunked once (out of principle perhaps) but who had a grasp of the total game (the best passer to ever play IMO) and worked like a demon. (BTW, don’t take this as Racism…Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson were in the same class for the same reason, as is Kevin Garnett on defense). I’d always sensed something thuggish about LeBron, without a tangible reason, and his atrocious post-game comment justified my intuition. He’ll never be in my own private Hall of Fame…as if anyone cares!

As for Kasich and the state of Ohio, I hope that thing was intended as a joke, but I can’t be sure. Pretty much anywhere out of Cleveland is like Tennessee politically. After all, Boner is from Cincinnati.

Cleveland does have an orchestra (of which I was once a member) and some good schools (CWRU, the Art Institute and the Institute of Music) and some nice places to live at some of the best prices in the country. My cousin has a house in Shaker Heights at 1/3 the cost it would be in Newton, Mass. Otherwise, as it was an industrial satellite of Detroit, it is in rough shape. At least the river doesn’t catch fire any more.

@patroclus: I honestly didn’t know he did that to TCU as well. My sympathies, and I hope you felt a little karmiac justice at how he dissed Alabama and then failed at Texas A&M. I partially agree that big-name probably get a pass from the NCAA or at least delayed justice – USC, OSU, Auburn (?) etc. – but mildly disagree at the current time that Alabama should be included in that category. Because of that player bidding scandal (and I said at that time we should have gotten the death penalty for at least a year, as should the other teams involved) we were on quite the hit list. We had players suspended for getting used books deals from the university bookstore at one point – granted, that is probably a violation of some NCAA rules, but not suspension worthy. However, YMMV.

@Cassidy: Admittedly I was saying that just to be an asshole, so I deserved that. That being said, considering the kind of tools that vote in Ohio, I’m gonna go with the racist redneck reason. Ohio is a shithole. I’ve visited family enough to know that I’m glad we didn’t live there.

I think purists would rather see a team built to win rather than one bought to win.

Oh for god’s sakes…this is pro basketball. Pro as in professional. Professional as in a money-making business which takes in hundreds of millions a year. Buying to win (or, to put it another way, paying their workers what they’re worth on an open market) is what they’re supposed to do.

This situation is also reminescent of how Mike Slive left C-USA to go to the S$C. Before, he was all, like, the BCS is a self-perpetuating exclusionary Cartel that was specifically designed to monopolize all the money and prestige of big-time college athletics that had ruined the lives, hopes and dreams of thousands and thousands of innocent student-athletes who just happened to attend “non-AQ” schools. And, after, he was, like the second coming of the odious Roy Kramer who turned a blind eye to all the cheating and corruption so long as the S$C got oodles of eleventy gazillions of money and a guaranteed slot every single year (despite losses) in the so-called MNC game.

Sure, I felt karma when the Disloyal Guy got fired by the College Station cult and ended up with the Bobcats of San Marcos. But when do I get to feel karmic about Slive and the BCS Monstrosity??

Apple has developed a new LeBron James IPhone, but it only vibrates because it doesn’t have any rings.

@johnsmith1882: Actually, Yglesias was writing more about the rights of athletes to play where they want, and the absurdity bound up in the idea that an athlete is somehow a traitor if he wants to work somewhere other than where he’s working.

As for the racism stuff, you’re absolutely right. That doesn’t make the bandwagon any dimmer, however. (And to be fair, player hating is as much about envy as anything else.)

Also? The Heat will be favored to win it all next year. And will have an excellent chance of doing so.